California’s Privacy Rights for California Minors in the Digital World Act—commonly known as SB 568—provides important protections for California residents under 18 when they use websites, online services, applications, and mobile apps. The law addresses two primary concerns: advertising certain products and services to minors and allowing registered minor users to remove content they posted themselves.
SB 568 at a glance
Signed in 2013 and operative since January 1, 2015, the law is codified in California Business and Professions Code sections 22580–22582. For this law, a minor is a California resident under 18.
Two central protections
Restricted advertising
Services directed to minors may not advertise specified products and services that minors cannot legally purchase. The law also limits certain advertising directed to a known minor using information specific to that minor.
Removal of posted content
Covered operators must allow a registered minor to remove—or request removal of—content or information the minor publicly posted through the service.
Advertising restrictions
The restrictions apply to operators of websites, online services, online applications, and mobile apps directed to minors. They also apply in certain circumstances when an operator has actual knowledge that a particular user is a minor.
Examples of products and services covered by the law
- Alcoholic beverages
- Tobacco and electronic cigarettes
- Cannabis and related products
- Firearms, ammunition, and certain weapons
- Dangerous fireworks
- Lottery tickets
- Ultraviolet tanning services
- Permanent tattoos and body branding
- Drug paraphernalia
- Obscene material
Use of a minor’s personal information
A covered operator may not knowingly use, disclose, compile, or allow a third party to use, disclose, or compile a minor’s personal information when it knows the information will be used to market or advertise a product or service covered by the statute to that minor.
A focused advertising law
SB 568 does not prohibit every advertisement shown to a minor, and it does not create a general ban on all profiling. Its advertising provisions focus on products and services identified in the statute and on certain advertising directed to minors.
The “eraser” provision
Covered services must give registered minor users a way to remove, or request removal of, content or information they posted. Operators must notify minors that this option is available, provide clear removal instructions, and explain that removal may not be complete or comprehensive.
Content or information posted by the minor that can be accessed by another user. The right applies to a minor who is a registered user of the covered service.
Exceptions include situations in which another law requires the information to be maintained; a third party posted, copied, or reposted it; the operator anonymized it; the minor did not follow the removal instructions; or the minor received compensation or other consideration for providing the content.
No. An operator may comply by making the original post no longer visible to other users and the public, even if it remains on the operator’s servers. Copies or reposts made by other people may also remain visible.
No. SB 568 expressly states that it does not require an operator to collect or retain age information about its users.
Why this matters in education
Students regularly create profiles, discussions, videos, portfolios, and other content through digital platforms. When evaluating a service, schools should understand whether students can remove their own posts, how the service handles copied or retained content, and whether its advertising practices are appropriate for minors. These questions should be considered alongside FERPA, COPPA, California student-privacy laws, district policy, and contractual safeguards.
Questions to ask a digital-service provider
- Is the service directed to minors, or does the provider know that minors use it?
- Does the service display advertising, and how are advertisements selected?
- Is student information used or shared for advertising purposes?
- Can registered minors easily remove content they posted?
- Does the service clearly explain the limits of its removal process?
- What information remains in backups or internal systems after public removal?
- How does the provider address copies or reposts created by third parties?